Many railroad tank cars have bottom outlet valves (BOVs) to allow for a simple means of unloading the payload being transported, most of which are liquids. The BOVs are usually ball valves located at the bottom of the tank of the railroad tank car. The BOV is in a closed position to load the payload into tank car, and is in an open position to unload the payload through the BOV.
Since most payloads transported by tank cars are liquids, to ensure the payload drains properly through the open BOV, some BOVs have an integral steam jacket around the BOV. The steam jacket is used to heat the payload near the BOV lowering its viscosity, allowing it to flow easier through the BOV. However, the steam jackets can wear over time and some develop fatigue cracks within the inlet and outlet pipes. The only way to repair the system is to have the entire tank car taken out of service to repair it. The present invention addresses these problems. The creation of a removable independent BOV steam jacket that can be installed easily over an existing BOV with or without a steam jacket has tremendous benefits as it can be easily installed in the field keeping the tank car in service until its regularly scheduled maintenance.